Misappropriation
by Jediempress
Summary: The boys leave for a tournament and the girls are left in charge of Radiant Garden.  Of course, Yuffie has to make things difficult.  Written for BlackIceNinja.


This is an idea that came about when BlackIceNinja complained that people did not do enough with girls in Kingdom Hearts. Thanks to Riku-Rocks (again) for the assistance.

No, I have still not obtained the rights from Nomura or SquareEnix.

Misappropriation

"You sure you girls can handle all this?"

"Yes, Leon;" Tifa assured him for the third time that hour. "All of the notes and schedules are posted on the board with back-ups filed with Tron. The group leaders have been given their assignments. All we have to do is make sure it all gets followed."

"How hard can it be?" Yuffie waved a dismissive hand from her place, lying on the grass flipping through a magazine. "You guys have already done all the work."

Leon stared at her a moment before shaking his head. "That's it. I'm not going."

He tried walking away from the Gummi ship but Cloud took a firm hold of his arm. "Oh, no you don't. Riku and Sora are waiting for us and you know they'll be pissed if you're not there."

"Riku won't even know I'm there. Hell, I'll be surprised if the two of you even take the time to enter the tournament."

Cid snorted, arms folded as he leaned against the hull. "Normally, I'd agree but the kid seemed to really want to kick your ass."

"I wish you'd stop calling him that." Cloud glared.

"Would you prefer Jailbait?"

"No."

"Fine then;" Cid tossed his finished cigarette away. "This boat leaves in five minutes."

He disappeared into the Gummi.

"Come on, Leon." Cloud gripped both his shoulders and steered him into the ship. "They've got this covered and can call if they need to."

"We won't." Tifa assured them as she made a shooing gesture with her hand. "Go show those teenagers whose boss."

The door sealed shut and Yuffie snickered. "Sora's gonna kick all their asses."

"Probably," The raven-haired woman agreed. She turned away as the Gummi lifted off and departed. "A week without the boys… I bet we can get a ton more done with them gone."

"Definitely," The smaller girl agreed absently.

--0—0—

Aerith and Kairi were fixing dinner when Tifa walked into the house. The red-haired girl glanced up. "Did you manage to get Leon on the Gummi?"

"Cloud had to literally man-handle him though the door but they're off." Tifa flopped down on the sofa. "You'd think he doesn't trust us."

"This is Leon's life." Aerith stated calmly, added the vegetables she just finished chopping to the stir-fry Kairi was working on. "I doubt he'd trust anyone with it."

Tifa sighed but dropped the subject. She looked over at the pair in the kitchen. "How did today's lesson go?"

"Very well," Aerith smiled. She lightly touched Kairi's shoulder as she turned to clean up the counter she had been working on. "Kairi has a knack for protection spells."

"Good." Tifa sat back up, swinging her long legs off the sofa. "Considering the two she runs with, that will help a lot."

The teen giggled. "Sora does like to run into trouble."

"And Riku is always right on his heels."

"Where's Yuffie?" Aerith removed a stack of plated from a cabinet. "Dinner is about ready."

"She said she had to talk to the Gullwings about something."

At that, the door swung open and said girl walked in. "Hey, guys. Food done?"

"Yes."

"Good, I'm starved." She sat herself at the table. "I got Yuna and them to take care of that mess at the quarry."

Tifa frowned. "How did you do that? They don't do anything unless they get paid."

Yuffie waved dismissively. "I've got it handled."

The three other females clearly did not believe her.

"Trust me."

With grave reservations, they sat down to dinner.

--0—0—

The next three days went flawlessly. Work was finished ahead of schedule and it looked like Leon's To Do list would be complete with two days to spare. Yuffie spent most of her time ordering people around, which did not earn her any friends.

"Don't you have things to do?" Kairi asked as she passed the ninja girl on her way to a lesson with Merlin.

Yuffie was lying on a stone wall, napping. "It's done."

Kairi shrugged and moved on.

When Tifa came across Yuffie, she punched her arm. "Are you going to do anything?"

"Ow!" She sat up, rubbing just above her elbow. "I have been!"

"All I've seen you do is loaf around." Tifa folded her arms. "Now I understand why Leon complains so much about you."

"Leon's a jerk. I do stuff around here!" Yuffie protested. "I do more than Cloud does!"

"That's debatable." The older woman muttered.

"Fine! I'll go find something to do." She leapt off the wall and ran off.

Tifa sighed in irritation. How in the worlds did Leon put up with her? He probably did not, hence why she was with Cid most of the time.

Having finished her tasks for the day, Tifa continued her way home. A nice, hot bath sounded like heaven to her right now. Yes, she was strong and tough, but one could only do so much physical labor in one day.

When she walked into the house however, she knew right away that something was wrong. Several things were out of place and Aerith was nowhere in sight. Cautiously, Tifa looked around the first floor before going upstairs.

A quick search of the rooms, which were also a bit disheveled, did not reveal the other woman's whereabouts. Then she noticed the attic was open. That was strange.

Stepping below it, a bit to the side, she quietly called up, "Aerith?"

There was a thumping sound and a soft grunt. This was enough for Tifa. She scrambled up the ladder, ready to take on whoever was in there.

Aerith turned toward her, a deeply concerned frown on her face. Before her was an empty space that, if the dust lines were any indication, had been occupied until recently. "Leon's chest is gone."

"Huh?" She tilted her head. "What chest?"

"Leon had a chest up here. I don't know what was in it, but I know it was very important to him," Aerith explained. "Nothing else has been taken."

"Okay, why would anyone go through all this trouble for one chest?" Tifa's expression showed clear confusion. "First of all, robbing us is just unbelievable after everything we've done for this world. Second, the weapons alone around here are worth a small fortune. Why take one small chest?

"Easier to sneak out?" suggested Aerith, straightening from her crouch.

"Any one home?" Yuffie's voice shouted from below.

The old friends stared at one another.

"She wouldn't have…" Tifa trailed off.

"She has been getting the Gullwings to do a lot for her."

Tifa spun on her heel and hopped down from the attic, completely bypassing the ladder; "Yuffie!"

She raced into the kitchen were the smaller girl was casually making a sandwich. Yuffie looked over and quickly noted the angry expression on Tifa's face. Immediately, she dropped the knife in her hand and backed away. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it!"

"Oh you better hope you didn't!"

Aerith had joined up with them now and she gave Yuffie a stern look. "What did you promise the Gullwings for their help?"

"Who said I promised them anything?" Brown eyes blinked nervously.

"Because the only person they'll do free work for is Sora," Tifa answered, "And sometimes Riku."

Yuffie glanced between the pair, mind frantically trying to figure a way out of this. Tifa would kick her ass twice if she tried to run. Aerith, though she did not look it, was nearly as tough as Tifa. She was not getting out of this easily.

With a loud sigh, she slumped against the wall. "I told them I'd find Leon's hidden treasure for them."

"Leon doesn't have any treasure." Had they not already gone through this before after Donald had promised them the same thing?

"Well, I convinced them he really did."

Tifa stepped and turned throwing a hand up in exasperation. "So they came here, found the chest, and took it, thinking it was the _treasure_. Leon is going to kill us if we don't get that chest back."

"Whoa, wait;" Yuffie pulled away from the wall. "They actually found something? Leon really does have a treasure chest?"

"He _had _a chest," Aerith clarified. She brought her fist to her chin. "So how do we get it back from them?"

"We take it." Tifa slammed one hand into the other.

"Or we can explain the situation and ask for it back." Kairi's voice spoke from behind them.

"When did you get back?" Aerith smiled at her protégé.

"Long enough ago to hear what happened." The girl tucked some red hair behind her ear. "I'm sure if we explain to Yuna what happened, she'll give the chest back."

"I don't know." Yuffie shook her head. "They were pretty ticked about not getting paid for helping during the battle."

"Yes but he had resolved that." Tifa shot her a glare. "_You_ had to reopen the issue."

Before Yuffie could start a shouting match, Aerith held out a hand. "Let's just go find them and talk to them about it. Yuna is very reasonable, I'm sure we can work something out."

The shinobi snorted. "She may be, but Rikku and Paine aren't. They're gonna want something."

"Well then it will be your job to get it for them." Tifa grabbed her by the ear and dragged her from the kitchen.

"Ow! Lemme go, Tifa!"

"Not until I know you're not going to run away."

Aerith shared a quick look at Kairi. The teen was trying not to laugh. "They're always like that, aren't they?"

"Ask Tifa to tell you about the Materia Incident some time." The mage grinned as she began following the other two, Kairi close behind her.

--0—0—

Tifa released Yuffie's ear only to grip the back of her neck. "All right, where are they hiding out?"

"The Quarry;" The smaller girl squealed, still trying to break out of Tifa's grip.

Aerith and Kairi had caught up and the four females proceeded to the location. The Quarry was beyond the north outskirts of town. It had not been used in a while due to the fact that there was currently a lull in actual building.

It made for a good hideout.

They pushed open the doors of the lobby, coughing at the dust from the stone mining. It was dingy and poorly lit in the room. Tifa finally let Yuffie go. "All right, where are they?"

"Out here." Yuffie walked forward toward the doors leading out to the actual mining location. Once through, she turned left and headed for the small foreman's office.

She threw open the door and immediately dropped. Tifa nearly ran into her and barely bent back in time to avoid a large bag of concrete swinging down across the threshold.

She straightened and glared down.

Yuffie glanced up, grinning sheepishly. "Uh… look out?"

Kairi stifled a giggle, knowing it was inappropriate, but the incident did look funny, and a quick glance at Aerith revealed a faint smile to her features. When Tifa glared at them, they could only shrug apologetically.

"Who's there?" A high-pitched voice shouted though it sounded like a normal person's volume.

"Rikku, it's me," Yuffie answered.

"Oh;" The odd-looking daggers the miniature flying blonde held disappeared; "Hey, Yuffie."

She caught sight of the others and pursed her lips. She quirked an eyebrow at the ninja, placing her hands on her hips. "Yuna, Paine; we have visitors."

The other two flying girls came over, deep frowns on their faces. Yuna flicked her fawn colored hair back. She glanced down at the girl still on the floor. "We're not giving it back."

"Look," Tifa kept her voice even. "I don't know what _Yuffie_ told you, but there's no treasure in that chest."

"Then why do you want it back so badly?" Paine had her arms crossed in her usual standoffish stance.

"It's Leon's chest," Aerith stated calmly. "Yuffie had no right to say you can have it."

"I didn't say they could have it!" The girl suddenly shot up. "All I said was that he had a chest hidden away!"

"You said it had his treasure in it!" Rikku pointed at her accusingly.

"He-he… Well, _his_ treasure is different than _actual _treasure."

"Well either way, Leon owes us so we're keeping it." The blonde flipped a braid from her face. Then a mischievous grin overtook her features, "Unless you can get us something better."

Tifa did not like the sound of that. She placed her hands on her hips, "Such as?"

"Well, if you can find something more valuable…"

Kairi frowned. "We don't even know what's in the chest. How do we tell what's more valuable?"

The blonde laughed. "Oh, trust me. Leon's gonna _reeeeeaally_ want that chest back."

"You have until they get back," Yuna clasped her hands before her. "Then we go to him."

"You won't want that," Paine stated.

The three pixies turned and flew off.

"Wonderful." Tifa yanked Yuffie behind her by the shirt as she walked out of the office. "How in the worlds are we going to find something more valuable than something we don't know?"

"The chest is important to Leon." Aerith informed them. "It doesn't matter what's in it to them. They know whatever it is; Leon will give a lot for it."

"Curse you for this, Yuffie." Tifa glowered. "This is worse than when you stole Reno's summon material supply."

"He had it coming!"

As they bickered, Kairi thought to herself. Aerith gave her a few sidelong looks but left her to her thoughts. She knew the girl was extremely level-headed and likely to come up with a good solution to the problem.

Suddenly the redhead grinned. "I got it."

Tifa turned, releasing Yuffie again.

"They figure they are currently in possession of Leon's most prized possession. All we need to do is give them something that we can convince them is more important to him," Kairi explained.

"Such as?"

Kairi sighed. "I have no idea."

Aerith laced her fingers together behind her back. "Does it have to be something valuable to him?"

"Why?"

"Well," The flower girl began. "If we could find something that is important to the town, that they would believe makes them important by being the possessors of that object…"

"That could work." Yuffie nodded. "They'd think the whole town would be at their feet!"

"But what could we give them that they would believe is that important?" Tifa frowned.

Kairi's blue eyes lit up. "I've got it."

--0—0—

Several townspeople gathered in the square to witness the coming historic event. Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie and Kairi stood near the center, all dressed in their best clothing. It had taken more time for the Moogles to make the object in Kairi's hands than anticipated.

Leon and the others would be back in two hours.

The Gullwings flew into the square, Rikku and Paine holding a wood chest between them. Yuna looked over the gathering curiously. "This better be good."

"It is." Tifa replied before calling for everyone's attention. She then turned the floor over to Kairi.

The teenage girl held out the wrapped item in her hands, presenting it to the three floating before her. "Many of you are not aware of this, but I am the original princess of this world."

There were a few murmurs but Paine only raised an eyebrow. "We know that."

"Of course you do." Kairi smiled graciously. Having been the mayor of Destiny Islands adopted daughter was about to pay off big time. "As such, I feel it is time that the Gullwings were properly recognized for their contributions to the restoration of this world.

"Leon insists that everyone does their share and therefore does not recognize individual accomplishment. While in general I agree with this position, there must be exceptions." Aerith stepped forward to uncover the item as Kairi continued to speak. "For your outstanding efforts in assisting with the rebuilding of Radiant Garden, I present to the Gullwings this."

She raised the object a bit.

All three Gullwings _ohhh_ed, Rikku and Paine dropped the chest and joined Yuna in studying the large golden key Kairi held. Kairi smiled a bit at the greedy looks in their eyes.

"This is the key to the city. There is only one and is a symbol of our unity." She paused dramatically. "I need not say how important keys are around here."

The miniature women met in a circle muttering anxiously to one another. They took turns glancing at the key as they spoke. After a minute, Yuna turned back to them. The other two flanked her.

"We accept this great honor." The other two flew forward to take the object from Kairi's hands. The redhead bowed to them and they returned it before quickly flying off.

The four females breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"We better get the chest back to the house." Yuffie stepped forward. She bent down to pick it up and froze.

"Yuffie, what-?" Tifa paused. "Oh, shit."

"What is my chest doing out here?" Leon's voice was deadly calm.

Yuffie chuckled nervously. "Hey, Leon… You guys are early."

"Answer the question."

"Well," She glanced over her shoulder at the other three. It was obvious by their expressions that they were not going to help her with this one. "It's such a nice box; I thought it was a shame that no one else could see it."

Leon clearly did not believe her.

"I, uh, wanted to clean it?"

The hard stare did not let up.

Yuffie suddenly bolted, leaving the chest behind.

Cloud had walked up by now and stood beside the former SeeD. "How long do we give her?"

Leon focused on Tifa. "Did everything get finished?"

"Yes. How was the tournament?"

"Sora won."

"No surprise there."

"No." Leon agreed. "Put the chest back. Cloud...?"

Without another word, he and Cloud split to walk around the women. They calmly followed the path Yuffie had sprinted.

Kairi looked at the other two. "I guess we better get the chest back."

They simply nodded.


End file.
